NEWS SOURCE, APRIL 18 --- One day after the two main political parties contesting the elections complained about their supporters being harassed and intimidated by each other’s supporters, the Guyana Police Force is being called upon to investigate the hanging of effigies of APNU+AFC leaders from a power pole in Essequibo.
The two effigies which carry the names Moses and Granger were found hanging from the top of a power pole early on Saturday morning, the same day that the PPP Civic moved into the community to host its political rally.
The effigies carried death threats and racists statements on them. On social media, many persons called for a full condemnation of the act.
Other racist notices and banners targeting the APNU+AFC coalition were also spotted around the community.
On Friday, an APNU+AFC candidate from the same Anna Regina community filed a police complaint after he said he was threatened by several senior members of the PPP in the region while he was placing coalition flags and posters on power poles in the region.
In Georgetown on Friday also, the PPP complained that some of its supporters were being intimidated in sections of the city while they were posting flags and posters around the city. The PPP said the affected supporters have filed police complaints.
As the campaign heats up, the Guyana Elections Commission is still to present a Code of Conduct for the political parties to sign onto. While media houses signed on to their own code of conduct, the parties contesting the elections have been going across the country on the campaign trail with no code conduct.
Already, President Bharrat Jagdeo has been singled out for “racially divisive” statements at the Babu John memorial event. The Media Monitoring Unit of the Guyana Elections Commission called the former President out on his speech after it was repeatedly aired on state owned tv and other stations.
Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram has since filed private criminal charges against Jagdeo for the statements. The former President has been summoned to appear in court on April 20, 2015 at the Whim Magistrates Court in Berbice.
